We’ve been in Thailand for a week now, getting to know oursurroundings and the city. Most of the teams left on Wednesday to go to their
areas of ministry throughout Thailand. The men and women have been separated
for the month, and the guys will be going somewhere to have what they call
“manistry.” 🙂
The girls from my team and the girls from another team are staying here in
Bangkok working through YWAM. Yesterday was our first day of ministry. We rode
in a van over an hour away to find this church. They are a new contact with The
World Race and with YWAM. When we got there, we met a woman who was one of the
directors of this place. It was a nursery/school for children whose parents
have leprosy. It’s right in the middle of a leprosy colony. The organization works with people who have leprosy. They help take care of their
needs, clean their homes, give them a place to stay, help them do laundry, and
just visit with them. A lot of these people have been cast out from their
communities, rejected by their families, and sent away from their old lives to
spend the remainder of their days living in the leper colony. For those of you
who don’t know, leprosy is a disease that basically eats away your skin and
muscles.
Our
ministry is going to be working and playing with the children in the mornings,
and then making house visits in the
afternoons. On Wednesdays and Fridays we’ll
clean their homes and help them do their laundry. The other days, we’ll just
visit with them. That’s what we did yesterday. The first woman we visited
looked pretty normal. Her fingers were half gone and a few of them looked like
little nubs. She kept thanking God and us for coming to visit her. She had been
a Christian for years now. She told us that she used to be a beautiful Chinese
opera singer. She sang to us right then and there. She sang us three songs, and
explained what each of them was about before she sang. One of them, she wrote
herself. It was amazing. I felt her Father’s pride for her. Then we sang her a
song. She loved it. We told her we’d see her tomorrow. It struck me how willing
she was to just sing to us without hesitation or embarrassment. It was obvious
that she loved having visitors. She just wanted to share who she was with us.
She didn’t have anyone to sing to. She was lonely. It made me happy to know
that we made her less lonely. We prayed for her and left.
ministry is going to be working and playing with the children in the mornings,
and then making house visits in the
afternoons. On Wednesdays and Fridays we’llclean their homes and help them do their laundry. The other days, we’ll just
visit with them. That’s what we did yesterday. The first woman we visited
looked pretty normal. Her fingers were half gone and a few of them looked like
little nubs. She kept thanking God and us for coming to visit her. She had been
a Christian for years now. She told us that she used to be a beautiful Chinese
opera singer. She sang to us right then and there. She sang us three songs, and
explained what each of them was about before she sang. One of them, she wrote
herself. It was amazing. I felt her Father’s pride for her. Then we sang her a
song. She loved it. We told her we’d see her tomorrow. It struck me how willing
she was to just sing to us without hesitation or embarrassment. It was obvious
that she loved having visitors. She just wanted to share who she was with us.
She didn’t have anyone to sing to. She was lonely. It made me happy to know
that we made her less lonely. We prayed for her and left.
Thenext house we visited belonged to an older man and his wife. The disease
devastatingly affected him. His hands and feet were nubs, he was skin and
bones, and his face was wasting away. He was practically blind. He too shared
himself openly with us without hesitation. He was so happy we were there. He
also was a believer and he said the most incredible thing. He said, “If God
uses this disease to bring me to Him, then I thank God for this.” As usual, I
was humbled. When have I ever thanked God for an illness?
Never. And here he was, wasting away to death and praising God for it.
Unbelievable. His wife didn’t appear to have the disease. I thought it was
truly miraculous and beautiful that she hadn’t left him. Most relatives abandon
their family with the disease. I had a deep respect for her right away. We
prayed for him and told him we would see him tomorrow too.
The
third house belonged to an older woman and her husband. Her name was Hom
(pronounced like “home”). She was 64, didn’t look a day over 55, and was a
warrior for God. She had been saved since her twenties and she was still going
strong. Her fingers were wasting away but otherwise normal. Her faith was
amazing. She didn’t speak one sentence without bringing God into it. She just
lost her 29-year-old son four months ago to cancer, her husband isn’t a
believer yet, and here she was, encouraging us to not doubt our God.
Honestly, I was jealous of her faith. We prayed for her and told her that we’d
see her tomorrow as well.
third house belonged to an older woman and her husband. Her name was Hom
(pronounced like “home”). She was 64, didn’t look a day over 55, and was a
warrior for God. She had been saved since her twenties and she was still going
strong. Her fingers were wasting away but otherwise normal. Her faith was
amazing. She didn’t speak one sentence without bringing God into it. She just
lost her 29-year-old son four months ago to cancer, her husband isn’t a
believer yet, and here she was, encouraging us to not doubt our God.
Honestly, I was jealous of her faith. We prayed for her and told her that we’d
see her tomorrow as well.
The
last man was a preacher. 🙂
He often spoke in the community church and to the people in the colony about
God. His fingers were gone, and one of his legs from the kneed down was gone.
He was sweet.
We sang for him too. And of course, we prayed for him and would
see him soon enough.
last man was a preacher. 🙂
He often spoke in the community church and to the people in the colony about
God. His fingers were gone, and one of his legs from the kneed down was gone.
He was sweet.
We sang for him too. And of course, we prayed for him and wouldsee him soon enough.
The
constant thing I kept hearing all day was, “Thank God.” For us. For their
homes. For their families. For their very diseases. They were completely
content with what was happening to them. Content? I work on that everyday with
my circumstances. And they had it down. It blew my mind. I couldn’t wrap my
head around it. I’m still trying to work through it in my heart and talk to God
about it. But something I realized while visiting these amazing people: the
power of my presence. They were all so excited and happy and honored to have us
in their homes and to have us visiting them. We didn’t even do anything except
sit, talk, listen, and pray. And our visit made their entire day. Maybe their
whole week. And I know that they’re just as excited about our next visit. They
feel honored? Oh no, I feel honored. I don’t even feel
worthy to sit in their house.
constant thing I kept hearing all day was, “Thank God.” For us. For their
homes. For their families. For their very diseases. They were completely
content with what was happening to them. Content? I work on that everyday with
my circumstances. And they had it down. It blew my mind. I couldn’t wrap my
head around it. I’m still trying to work through it in my heart and talk to God
about it. But something I realized while visiting these amazing people: the
power of my presence. They were all so excited and happy and honored to have us
in their homes and to have us visiting them. We didn’t even do anything except
sit, talk, listen, and pray. And our visit made their entire day. Maybe their
whole week. And I know that they’re just as excited about our next visit. They
feel honored? Oh no, I feel honored. I don’t even feel
worthy to sit in their house.
I have a lot to learn from these beautiful people.
Lighting Up the World,
~Eryn
